At the initial stage, the ailment in question can easily be confused with other diseases. The first signs of chickenpox in a child and an adult are not much different. And despite the fact that every year it is more and more difficult to find a person who would not have been ill with this disease, some still endure the disease already in adulthood. However, there is nothing funny about this, because the older a person is, the more severely he suffers from the disease. In this review, we will take a closer look at what chickenpox is, how the disease proceeds and what signs can be used for primary diagnosis.
Incubation period
So, what do you need to know about this disease? The first signs of chickenpox do not appear immediately after infection. A rash in the form of small pink spots spreads very quickly throughout the body, also affecting the mucous membranes. A few hours later, it goes into a stage when a bubble filled with liquid appears in place of each speck. The redness around it persists for several days. When the bubble bursts, a crust grows in its place. It is not worth tearing it off, because after complete healing it will fall off on its own. To speed up the healing process, experts recommend lubricating the affected areas with brilliant green. Also, the rash may be recurring.
Chickenpox shapes
Let's take a closer look at this. Clinical signs of chickenpox may differ from the form of the disease. Everyone tolerates chickenpox in different ways, depending on the level of immunity and the general condition of the body, three main forms of the disease can be distinguished. With incorrect or untimely treatment, they can pass into each other. Consider each form in more detail:
- Easy shape. It usually occurs in children aged 2 to 12 years. In a mild form, the disease may be accompanied by a short-term increase in body temperature and a small rash that remains on the skin for 2-3 days.
- Medium severity. With this form of chickenpox, more abundant rashes are observed, as well as itching and high fever. The rash stops after 5 days. At the same time, body temperature normalizes, and dried crusts form at the sites of inflammation.
- Heavy form. Accompanied by severe rashes all over the body, even on the mucous membranes of the eyes and scalp. Severe headaches, fever, and lack of appetite may also occur. The illness lasts more than one week.
First symptoms
So what do you need to know about this? How does the disease in question begin? What are the first signs of chickenpox in children? The most characteristic symptom is the appearance of rashes all over the body. There is also fever up to 39 degrees, headache and chills. The incubation period can be up to three weeks. The rash can appear even on the 20th day after infection.
The disease proceeds differently depending on the age of the patient and the body's resistance.
Chickenpox in children
What should I pay attention to first of all? Despite the fact that the signs of chickenpox in children are more pronounced, diagnosing the disease at an early stage can be quite difficult due to the fact that children cannot always explain what hurts them. According to the first symptoms, the disease is more like a common cold: the child loses his appetite, becomes lethargic and capricious, the body temperature rises, abdominal pains appear. A few days later, pink pimples can be seen on the skin. Itching is difficult for young children to control, so at this stage, parents should ensure that the child does not scratch the rash. Tracking the appearance of new itchy spots will be easier if you lubricate them with brilliant green.
Chickenpox in infants
This aspect deserves special attention. In infants, the symptoms and signs of chickenpox are rashes accompanied by high fever. The disease can proceed both in a mild form and in a more severe one,characterized by severe rash with suppuration. It is worth noting that children under one year of age rarely become infected with chickenpox. Immunity to diseases of this kind is instilled in them by antibodies that enter the body along with mother's milk. However, if infection does occur, the incubation period for a newborn usually does not last more than a week.
Chickenpox in teenagers
What is her speci alty? Children of senior school age have a hard time with cases of chickenpox. This is largely due to changes in the hormonal background and reduced immunity. The signs that characterize the rash with chickenpox in this case may be slightly different. The eruptions are often purulent and profuse. Even after recovery, severe scars and dimples may remain. The difficulty also lies in the fact that the first pockmarks can really be confused with teenage acne. As a result, treatment may not be started in time, which will only aggravate the course of the disease.
Chickenpox in adults
Let's take a closer look at this aspect. Signs of chickenpox in adults are general malaise, aches, headaches, and elevated body temperature. A couple of days after the first signs of malaise, a rash appears on the patient's body. Adults are usually very difficult to tolerate the disease. The heat disappears only after all pockmarks have dried. The danger of chickenpox in adulthood lies in the possibility of developing complications. They usually manifest as arthritis, pneumonia, meningitis, inflammationlymph nodes.
In the beginning it is easy to confuse the disease with the common cold. There is a headache, muscle ailments and a slight fever. After a while, pink spots appear on the face and head. Also at this stage, the first signs of general intoxication of the body may occur: weakness, nausea, diarrhea. At the same time, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees, severe itching begins. Gradually, the rash affects the entire body and mucous membranes. Severe pain may occur during urination. The spots are filled with liquid contents, and then burst, and a purulent crust forms in their place. If you regularly treat the rash, it will pass without a trace. Scars at the site of wounds may remain if a secondary infection enters. In adulthood, rashes usually continue to appear for 10 days. In this case, the patient may also increase inguinal, behind the ear, axillary and submandibular lymph nodes.
Thus, we can say that adults in a more severe form of chickenpox. In addition, the risk of developing complications in them increases significantly. Therefore, if in childhood it was possible to avoid the development of the disease, then it is better to get vaccinated against chickenpox.
Is it possible to get sick again?
There is still no consensus on whether a person can have the disease twice. The symptoms of herpes and chickenpox can be similar, so the two diseases are often confused and misdiagnosed. However, cases of recurrence of chickenpox were still recorded. The development and symptoms of the disease in this case were the same as in the primary disease: high fever, rash, general weakness. Of course, there is a possibility that the disease was simply misdiagnosed the first time. Most doctors still believe that you can get sick with an illness only once. But still, if the first signs of chickenpox were found in adults, quarantine should be maintained for three weeks. This will help to avoid infection among others.
Chickenpox during pregnancy
What is its danger? During pregnancy, hormonal changes are usually observed, as well as weakened immunity. As a result, the body is susceptible to the development of various infections. Therefore, if a woman has not had chickenpox before, she can easily catch it. During the period of bearing a child, the signs of chickenpox do not differ much from other cases. The greatest danger is not the disease itself, but the complications that it can cause. The greatest risk occurs with infection in the first and third trimesters. The fact is that in the early stages of pregnancy, the future organs and systems of the child are formed. Chickenpox can lead to damage to the cerebral cortex, cause hypoplasia and microphthalmia in the fetus. But at the same time, this disease cannot be an indication for abortion.
Diagnosis
How is it carried out and what is its peculiarity? Usually a specialist makes a final diagnosis, focusing on the external signs of chickenpox.smallpox and patient complaints. However, sometimes there are ambiguous cases when additional studies are required to make an accurate diagnosis. These could be:
- REIF express method: detects viral antibodies;
- virological diagnostics: identifies the causative agent of the disease;
- complete blood count: detects low levels of white blood cells;
- enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: helps detect specific antibodies in the blood that are specific to the varicella-zoster virus.
It is worth noting that today these diagnostic methods are used extremely rarely. In most cases, a visual examination is sufficient to make a diagnosis.
Differential Diagnosis
Signs of chickenpox in children may be similar to those of other infections. Therefore, differential diagnosis is sometimes required. It distinguishes chickenpox from other infections such as herpes, rubella, prickly heat, and scarlet fever. The clinical picture of the development of these diseases can be different. For example, the prodromal stage in diseases such as chickenpox, rubella, and prickly heat is usually asymptomatic. With measles, there is a cough and mucous discharge from the nose, and with scarlet fever, fever, headache, and vomiting. You should also pay attention to the nature of the rash. With chickenpox, they usually resemble the "starry sky" and are localized on the face and body. With rubella, the spots are distinguished by an anemic rim and affect mainly the face. Miliaria is characterized by rare small red spots in the abdomen, neck andlegs. With scarlet fever, the rash is very small, densely located and localized mainly in the inguinal region, while measles is characterized by small confluent papular-type pimples that most often appear on the face.
How else can you spot the signs of chickenpox in children? Photographs of cases can also help make a preliminary diagnosis.
Conclusion
In this review, we examined in detail the signs of chickenpox in various cases of the disease. The most easily mentioned disease occurs in childhood. Between the ages of 2 and 12, chickenpox usually gets better. The rash lasts for 2-3 days, and the crusts that appear in its place, with proper treatment, pass quickly and do not leave scars. If smallpox is not treated in time, an infection can get into the wounds, which will subsequently lead to the development of severe suppuration.
In adolescence and adulthood, the disease is usually severe. Chickenpox is accompanied by intense heat. The rash may continue for a week. Also, the disease can cause the development of complications such as meningitis, pneumonia, arthritis and others. However, usually serious cases of the disease occur with a weakened immune system. Therefore, it is extremely important to strengthen your immune system, eat right and lead an active lifestyle. Also, if the child did not have chickenpox in childhood, it is recommended to be vaccinated to avoid the occurrence of the disease in the future.
